Color in Black and White Exhibition in Lamarche Gallery

Story posted August 12, 2010

Drawings.jpg
A recent exhibition of Donna Barnes's drawings.

Color in Black and White, an exhibition of the work of Brunswick artist Donna Barnes, will be on view in Lamarche Gallery, David Saul Smith Union, throughout the month of August 2010.

A reception with the artist will be held Friday, August 27, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Gallery. The exhibition and reception are open to the public and admission is free.

"I appreciate Maine's rich diversity of landscape, seasonal shifts, forever-changing weather, and the physical demands that living in Maine require of me," says the artist, who was born and raised in Topsham. "I spend most of my free time outdoors enjoying the rocky coastline, my backyard gardens, Moosehead Lake, Mt. Katahdin, and the Penobscot River areas of northern Maine."

The drawings featured in Color in Black and White are Barnes's most-current renderings and depict some of her favorite "get-away" spots.

"The texture, light, and quiet of the natural world speak to me and inspire me to create. I am especially interested in the elements of moving water, trees, and sky. I strive to capture both the spirit and physicality of that which I select to draw. Drawing is a way of seeing. The act of drawing brings me to the knowing of things. Details are important to me. I focus my eye on surface texture and shifts in value and light to get to the essence of that which is before me. My process is much like walking a maze. Excitement, confusion, analyzing, strategizing, and ultimately I discover a solution, a way, a path to an end. I'm never really sure until I get there."

Barnes used graphite sticks, pencils, and colored pencils to render her understanding of the natural world as depicted in this body of work. She occasionally uses charcoal and pen and ink as tools for drawing.

"My drawings are an exploration in black and white spawned by a comment that my friend made to me many years ago," she explains. "Some things seem to percolate and take awhile to surface! In receiving one of my drawings as a Christmas present, he was impressed with my realistic detail and the drawings' expressive quality. He mentioned that if he could draw this well he wouldn't have the need to paint or use color. I've decided to give drawing a serious place in my creative process and to most especially honor the world of black and white."

The value of quality craftsmanship and attention to detail are standards Barnes learned from her late, well-respected local builder and developer father, Ralph Bouchard. She was trained in the art of traditional oil painting, studying under the tutelage of the late German artist, Alicia Stonebreaker of Brunswick.

In 1974 Barnes graduated from the University of Southern Maine with a degree in art education and began what is now a 35-year professional commitment to art education in public schools. In 1989 she used a sabbatical year to focus on developing her own artistic abilities and to refuel her creative passion for both teaching and production.

While she has no immediate plans to retire from teaching, Barnes is beginning to look beyond this career and currently strives to find her own way and place in the art world. Most recently, she has exhibited at Brunswick's new Mr. Bagel Shop on Pleasant Street. She was also commissioned by them to paint a mural in their children's corner of the restaurant and was in residence during the business's grand opening.

Her work has been featured at Gallery on the Lake in Greeneville, Maine, Sweet Leaves Tea House, Brunswick, and Maine Street Art, Brunswick. She will participate in Brunswick's third Arts are Elementary 10x10 exhibit and sale on October 1, 2010.

For more information on Barnes's Bowdoin exhibition, call 207-725-3375.

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